Brave New World
by PirateRina717
Summary: Arthur Pendragon has been recently offered a captaincy aboard the USS Albion through rather complicated circumstances. He joins a colorful crew and tries to maintain Federation control while not losing sight of what his father taught him. Merthur, Gwen/Lancelot romance.


Arthur entered his quarters and let the welcome silence of the room ring in his ears. He took in the sight of boxes precariously stacked on the few surfaces in the room, and wondered if he would ever not feel like a stranger. Shifting a few personal items from his desk, he sat at his table and turned on the computer. It responded with some familiar clicks and beeps before becoming silent, waiting for instruction.

Arthur took a deep breath, and ran his hands through his hair. "Computer, begin recording." He almost forgot what to say next. "Personal Log. Stardate: 2123.6. Today was my first day aboard the _USS Albion_."

0o0o0

"Welcome aboard, sir!" Arthur barely had time to register Leon coming over to shake his hand and leading him out of the Transporter Room. Beaming was still a new experience to him, but he reprimanded himself. He knew that he should quickly outgrow the tingly sensation of being put back together again, so as not to appear… deficient. There was one bright side to this new position: having Leon Stark as his First Officer. Arthur was so relieved to have someone he knew from the Academy there – someone who didn't think of him as a "nepotistic, self-serving Denebian Slime Devil," as others had so quaintly put it.

"It's great to see you again, Leon," said Arthur as they walked through the bustling halls of the _Albion_.

"And you as well, sir." Leon guided him towards his quarters. Arthur's belongings had been beamed up shortly before his arrival. "It will be an honor to serve as your Chief of Security."

When they finally reached the cabin door, Arthur stopped just before it. "CAPTAIN PENDRAGON" was written on a little sign in boldface letters. He faced Leon. "It's nice having a friend here. And don't call me 'sir,' by the way." Leon looked scandalized by the suggestion to break protocol. "Well, maybe not all the time," Arthur revised before walking past Leon and letting the door open in front of him.

An ensign and yeoman were in Arthur's quarters, fussing over what box was meant to go where. Finally aware of Arthur's presence, both stopped and turned at attention.

"At ease," said Arthur unconsciously.

Leon walked over to the two. "This is Ensign Elyan Jones and Yeoman Freya Warren, Captain." They shared a look that conveyed the significance of the man in front of them being their Captain. It seemed to say, "That's him?" Arthur noticed. "Dismissed." The two left, whispering something over their shoulders.

"I hope these quarters are satisfactory, sir."

"Of course. Thank you." Arthur bit his tongue before correcting Leon on the "sir" thing again. He'd pick it up in time.

"Not to rush you, Captain," Leon began tentatively, "but I should be giving you a tour of the ship soon, and then let you get accustomed to your room. You have quite a few officers to meet before we leave this space station in two days and begin our mission."

Arthur nodded. He almost wished he could stay in his cabin and filter in his leadership through social osmosis. But no, that would never do. Arthur could just imagine his father's disappointed face. He'd say something about how the Pendragons have been practically Starfleet royalty for generations, and that he had a duty to maintain the family traditions and reputation, and how dare he be so selfish. Or something along those lines.

Leon escorted Arthur into the nearest turbo lift. "Engineering," he told the computer. The small box suddenly jerked downwards. "You'll be happy to know that Gwen Smith has been commissioned to be the _Albion's_ Chief Engineer, Captain." Arthur blinked in surprise. This position had been so swiftly decided that he hadn't had the chance to read any of the proper personnel reports. But what a stroke of luck!

"Gwen Smith, daughter of legendary mechanical engineer Thomas Smith?"

"The very same. I have to warn you, though," Leon said quietly as they approached the sliding red doors, "she's a bit… enthusiastic about her job."

Arthur's mouth was still open, about to ask Leon what on earth he meant by that, when he was abruptly confronted with a set of bouncing brown curls.

"Captain Pendragon!" Gwen declared, as if they had been friends since childhood. "Welcome aboard, sir. I've been asked to give you a status report on system repairs. We are only a few hours behind schedule, which I find to be miraculous, given the state of the previous dilithium crystals – " Gwen went through a checklist that she had on a tablet in front of her. Truthfully, Arthur could only understand about a quarter of the techno-babble Gwen was explaining. Not only did every third word sound like a foreign language, but she also seemed to talk at warp speed. Arthur glanced at Leon, who was giving Gwen a fond smile. Arthur found himself doing the same moments later, simply because Gwen was so earnest, smiling using her hands as she talked, occasionally gesturing to panels or giving out orders to a passing ensign. "Starfleet Command has also petitioned for me to become your Second Officer," Gwen continued, her face becoming more serious. She seemed to be waiting for Arthur to comment. "Of course, if you have someone else in mind, I understand."

Arthur smiled and shook Gwen's free hand. "I would be honored to have you as my Second Officer."

For once, Gwen only smiled and nodded before returning to work. Leon laughed a little as he and Arthur returned to the turbo lift.

"What?"

"Her chipper attitude's pretty contagious," Leon admitted. "Most people in command find it annoying."

"Well, I don't," Arthur replied easily. "There's nothing in Starfleet regulations that says you can't enjoy your job. Although, I might ask her to translate what she's saying into layman's English."

Leon chuckled some more, and then ordered the lift to the Bridge. "I hope you don't mind, sir, but I've asked those who are on your typical Bridge crew to convene at their usual posts. It seemed faster than tracking them down individually, sir," he added.

"Yes. Good." Arthur tried to hide how he stiffened into the handle of the turbo lift. He had been preparing for this moment since childhood, the moment when he would finally have a ship of his own. Why did it all suddenly seem so overwhelming?

The lift doors had barely made their soft _whooshing_ sound before Leon called out, "Captain on the Bridge!" Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to stand. _Well, that'll have to change, too,_ Arthur thought uncomfortably. _No need for them to do that every time._ Arthur gestured for everyone to carry on, and began to make his way around the room. He took a step towards the nearest chair. "Morgana."

A pale woman with black curls swiveled in her chair and took out her earpiece. "_Captain_ Pendragon," she drawled with her ever-present edge of sarcasm.

"Any news from the space station?" asked Arthur casually.

Morgana frowned. "If you're asking whether our dear father has kindly condescended to grace us with a message," she grumbled, "the answer is no."

Arthur turned to see if Leon had heard any of that. Fortunately, he was assisting someone on the other side of the room. "You really can't say things like that in public, Morgana," Arthur admonished in a hushed voice.

"Why not?" Morgana put her earpiece back in and began listening to her usual frequencies. "It would serve him right for sticking me on this rust bucket as punishment for my 'embarrassing indiscretions,' destined to go hundreds of light years away from home. I'm not ready! Neither of us are." Morgana glanced briefly at Arthur's bewildered expression. "But, then again, Uther never really cared about what either of us felt."

Arthur sighed and left her, knowing discussing Uther with her was pointless. He walked down to the helm. Two men in Command gold around Arthur's age were jovially chatting about some new operating system being installed. "Apparently, you can go up to warp 8.2, if you really push it," the Helmsman was saying. "Smithy's got this rigging that can make a starship go so – " He stopped when he noticed Arthur in front of the main screen. "Captain," he acknowledged.

"You are?" Arthur prompted.

"Oh. Lieutenant Gwaine Connolly, sir." He offered his hand to Arthur. "Helmsman and Tactical Officer." Gwaine seemed to have the looks and charisma of a celebrity, with an easy-going demeanor to boot. Arthur thought Gwaine was perhaps a little too confident in his charms for his own good, but he remembered that he was like that not so long ago. He took Gwaine's hand. "And this is Lieutenant Lancelot Verity, Navigator and Weapons Officer." Gwaine gestured to his partner (who also had celebrity-esc features).

The other man smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Captain."

"He's not much of a conversationalist," Gwaine continued, playfully nudging Lancelot's shoulder, "but I can tell you right now that he's the most loyal man on this ship and the best Weapons Officer in the fleet. Hands down."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Arthur. He saw the look of mortification reaching Lancelot's eyes and chose to leave before Lancelot punched Gwaine in the face out of embarrassment. After meeting a few others, Arthur noticed Leon giving a despairing look at the empty chair next to Morgana's. The Science Officer's chair. "Who sits there?" he asked, startling Leon.

"Sir, I informed Lieutenant Commander Emrys to be present, but he – "

"Chose not to come?" Arthur quickly weighed his options in his head. He knew it wasn't a serious offense, but he had to show what kind of captain he was, then and there. This was his chance.

"I'm sure that's not the case, sir," Leon insisted.

"Where is Lieutenant Commander Emrys?" Arthur started walking to the turbo lift.

Leon followed nervously. "Sick Bay," he told the computer. "He often visits our Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Gaius. They seem to be… close. I understand that Gaius served under your father, as well."

Arthur restrained himself from letting loose a comment on how convenient that was. Gaius was the only Vulcan his father could ever seem to get along with, and when Uther was promoted to Commodore, he was sad to lose Gaius' counsel. He was also the best damn ship's surgeon this side of the galaxy. Uther probably had him placed there to keep an eye on him. "I've known him since childhood," was all Arthur could to respond.

He walked briskly towards the Sick Bay doors and they opened just in time to hear a man's uproarious laughter coming from inside. Arthur turned at the doorway, ready to give this Emrys the what for, when he stopped. An officer, who couldn't have been much younger than Arthur or Leon, was sitting on the side of a cot, his long legs swinging absently above the floor. He had a science division uniform and wore the stupidest smile on his face, apparently recovering from something humorous that was said. He had black hair that stuck out in all directions and covered the tops of his rather large ears. Arthur was completely put off. This was probably the least-professional looking Starfleet officer he had ever seen, and he was on his Bridge crew?

"Emrys," Leon began, shaking his arm to alert him to the seriousness of the matter. "This is our new captain, Captain Pendragon."

"Good day, Arthur," said Gaius from across the room. He never took his eyes off his tablet.

"Hello again, Gaius." Arthur returned to looking pointedly at Emrys.

Suddenly, Emrys stood up and held out his hand. "Merlin Emrys, Science Officer. I will greatly enjoy serving as part of your Bridge crew."

Arthur crossed his arms. Was this man really so oblivious? "You are aware that First Officer Stark requested your presence on the Bridge," he said, motioning to Leon.

"Yes." Merlin slowly withdrew his hand. Arthur raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Yes, _sir_," Merlin corrected, grinning enough to give Arthur reason to doubt his sincerity.

"Tell me, Lieutenant," said Arthur, feeling the strain of the day and the day before and the ensigns and yeomans talking behind their hands every time he walked down a corridor bubble up inside him, "are you deliberately being insubordinate?"

Merlin's smile flinched, and his whole body seemed to tighten. "I didn't realize it would be so easy, sir."

Leon's eyes widened. Arthur was fuming, ready to lash out and throw Mr. Emrys in the Brig for eternity, when Gaius decided to intervene. "That's enough, Merlin," he snapped, which seemed to scare Merlin's smirk off his face. "It is my fault Science Officer Emrys did not attend this meeting of yours on the Bridge. Mr. Emrys was going through his physical examination, which all new members of the crew have been doing either here or on the station for the past week. Is that an incorrect statement, Mr. Stark?"

"No, Doctor." Leon's face betrayed a desire to not be included in this conversation, torn between loyalty to the Captain and friendship with Merlin.

Gaius returned to Merlin's cot, and held out the tablet and pen, gesturing for Merlin to sign somewhere. "So, it is highly illogical for you to reprimand him on a highly unimportant technicality. Would you not agree, Captain?"

"I – " Arthur knew that Vulcan were incapable of lying, but why hadn't Emrys defended himself? He haughtily voiced these suspicions.

"Because you seemed determined to find me guilty the moment you saw me," Merlin replied nonchalantly. He handed the tablet back to Gaius.

"Not that your childish behavior was much better," Gaius remarked to Merlin. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the lab."

There was an uncomfortable pause. Then Arthur surprised all in the room by laughing incessantly. Merlin and Leon shared a look. "Sir?" asked Leon.

"Oh, it's nothing," Arthur explained between giggles. "I'd forgotten how funny Gaius is. And he was right, too," he turned his attention to Merlin. "You really are childish, aren't you?"

"At least I'm not an arrogant ass, _Your Majesty!"_ Merlin retorted, jumping off his cot. Leon took this opportunity to wait outside.

But this was the happiest that Arthur had felt all day. Finally, someone who wasn't seeking his approval or catering to his every whim; this was refreshing. "You're lucky I don't confine you to your quarters!"

Merlin snorted. "Don't be so precious. I'd love to see you try, though!"

"We leave in two days," Arthur called over his shoulder as he walked to the door. "I suppose I should find a replacement. Unless you could _bother_ to come this time."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world – " Merlin followed Arthur out into the corridor. He looked him straight in the eye and grinned. " – Captain."

0o0o0

The next day had been rather uneventful. Arthur toured the rest of the ship and put his few belongings away. He visited Morgana, who had managed to turn her quarters into a lush Orion boudoir, with fabrics of gold and green draping from the ceiling and pillows laying everywhere.

"I'm not sure this is Starfleet regulation, Morgana," he said, afraid to touch anything in the room for fear it would all come down.

Morgana appeared from behind her room's screen with two glasses of some sort of blue liquid. She shrugged and handed Arthur a glass, smirking. "I won't tell if you won't."

The surprise generated amongst the crew of seeing the great Arthur Pendragon seemed to die down to nothing, so by the third day on board, he was ready to sit in the captain's chair. At least, that's what Arthur told himself. He had seen all of his officers at one point or another for a second meeting except for Mr. Emrys. Not that Arthur had sought him out. Surely, Emrys was preparing himself in his scientific capacity. Whatever that meant.

At last, the USS Albion was ready to leave the space station. Crewmen were running through the halls making last-minute repairs. Officers ran system checks. Minutes before the launch, Arthur walked into a turbo lift. "Bridge." He couldn't tell in the sensation he felt in his stomach was fear or excitement. He reasoned it was probably a bit of both.

The lift's doors opened. All eyes of the crew were on him instantly. Arthur strode over to his chair, and slowly let his weight settle into it. The armrests and back were custom made to his dimensions, but he never expected it to be this comfortable. Everyone quietly returned to work. Arthur glanced over his right shoulder, and to his delight, Merlin sat in the Science Officer's chair, fiddling with some dials.

"Captain," said Morgana, "Starfleet has cleared us for launch when you give the command."

Arthur nodded, enjoying the swivel capacity of his chair. "Check with Engineering for final authorization."

Morgana disappeared behind her hair, now pulled back strictly in a high ponytail. A moment later she turned again. "Ms. Smith has confirmed launch, sir."

"Right." Arthur pressed the intercom button on his armrest. "Morgana, open a channel to all decks."

"Channel open, sir."

Arthur faltered. He knew it was customary for the captain to make a speech, but he had no idea what to say. He could see the expectant faces in his peripheral vision, daring him to make a mistake. Only one face was smiling. Merlin was waiting patiently for him to begin. In that instant, Arthur found the courage to speak. "This is your captain speaking." He swallowed. "Today, we start a mission. Our mission is discovery, diplomacy, and diligence to the laws that make up the United Federation of Planets. Everyone here serves with honor and faith in those values that define us as a people, as a species, and as a part of something more significant than just our world. Our future lies in the next great adventure, so let's go find it." He clicked the intercom off and relaxed into his chair.

"Mr. Connolly, take us out there," Arthur commanded. "Warp Factor two."

The whole Bridge seemed to light up with gleeful anticipation. "Warp Factor two, sir," Gwaine repeated, grinning at the stars on the horizon.

Arthur shared a look with Merlin, trying to silently say thank you. Merlin only smirked like the entire speech was his idea and began checking his monitors.

Perhaps, this mission wouldn't be so bad after all.


End file.
